The Whisper of Danger
by Keibel Hartoff
Summary: Seven Elves in the Middle Earth, facing the danger never known!.. This story is based on the maps of JRR Tolkien and the books he wrote;
1. The Ancient War

1  
  
2 Chapter One,  
  
3 The Ancient War  
  
  
  
Sun was shining brighter than ever. A day of miracles it was. Ringlô was wide-awake as the entire village slept. There was something tense in the air. The creatures of the wood wouldn't talk to her. They sensed the danger, and so did she, and couldn't sleep for days. Such beautiful seemed the day. Villagers were happy and thought it was the end of all.  
  
It was time to celebrate, they thought, after all those years fighting with men, men had finally given up. But she didn't believe it. Why would men leave the battle when elves and men were in equal conditions and when men seemed so eager of their powers? Why? She looked at the depths of the forest. Listened, for maybe a quarter of an hour. She then turned back, her head hanging before her chest miserably.  
  
"What is it? You have been awake for days. What is bothering you Ringlô?" her husbands voice echoed in her mind. He had been asking these, all these days she had been awake. Three days. No four. She had smelled the danger for four days. She leaped through the leaves, as she though of a reason. A reason to tell her family why she had been awake all those days. She was already at their house, with out a reason. How much she dreaded, what was it like, in there.  
  
She stood there. She was facing a black old oak tree. The oak, which had their house on it. It seemed maybe four thousand years old, maybe more. It stood there so honorable, if trees had aristocrats, it would be the king of them. It's leaved had every tone of green in them, and they were large and many. They were enough to make an elephant look like an herb, nothing else, under them. She looked at the tree for a long time, as if seeing it for the first time. She put her hand on the black old oak's skin. Moved her hand gently on it, as if reading some kind of a text. Then she suddenly jumped and climbed the tree just like a tiger. Her movements were unable to be seen.  
  
She now faced a door, as she stood on a twig, just like a monkey. She let a sigh. Then she entered in. It was noisy in here; her child was crying, her husband was talking loudly with some people. She moved towards her daughter. Her daughter, her dear Blaise, was crying, as she never did before. She was only four, yes, but she was intelligent. Ringlô took her daughter to some corner of the room they were in, which had pillows all over. She sat her daughter on a pillow. And sat on another herself.  
  
"What is the problem, my dear?" she asked. Her daughter had stopped crying since she came.  
  
"I am scared" she said flatly "too scared now, to ignore. And I need to talk to you. I cried, so you would come."  
  
"Scared?" Ringlô asked, calmly but her eyes bursting with suspicion.  
  
"Yes, scared" her daughter told her, toneless "I can tense the danger mum, for four days now, I have been burning to tell you. But I couldn't. I was afraid you would be scared too, if I told you what I saw."  
  
"I have been sensing the tense air too, you know that." Ringlô said, now her voice a bit worried, but she tried not to show her nervousness to her daughter.  
  
Her daughter eyed her longingly, as if reading her eyes. Then she suddenly turned against the wall. "Men." She said "Men are coming mum, to get us at night, when we can't be together, but at our homes, separated."  
  
Ringlô opened her mouth. But then closed it, when she saw her daughter had more to say.  
  
"Mother," she continued, not like a four-year-old girl, but like a wise, old woman "I beg you not to leave me. I feel the most terrible coming. Believe me, if you will, or don't, but either way, don't leave me."  
  
Ringlô was shocked how her daughter could sense the tenseness when only she sensed it. But the worry for her daughter was more. She didn't know to be glad she could sense danger, or so sad that she was afraid, and was skipping her childhood, becoming a child, when meant to be a baby, becoming a young girl, when meant to be child, and so on. Also, she had to warn everybody. But would they listen? Would they halt celebrating and listen her for a second? She looked at the floor.  
  
"The forest hasn't been talking to me, even they know what is coming; the legged is running away, the stiff stopped talking." She told her daughter "It is war time, and even if we can stop them, with our powers, even elves need help sometimes. Because catching us in our sleep is too dangerous for us. And as people won't believe me even if I tell them what is coming, we will be caught like mice in a trap, so easily. And there won't be anywhere to run and back when had a breath, because we will be in our sleeps." She led a sigh.  
  
Suddenly her daughter shouted, "They're coming!"  
  
"They won't believe you darling," Ringlô said as she laid her hand on her daughters face. But her daughter took her hand off. And said, "No mother, they ARE, they are in the edges of the forest!"  
  
Ringlô's eyes got wide and she looked at her daughter who was breathing so heavily, her chest would be seen, going up and down. Ringlô made a quick move towards her husband, who was celebrating with a few friends. She lent to his ear and whispered that men were in the edge of the forest. Her husband didn't show any sign of disbelief. But he was smiling.  
  
"My friends," he said loudly to his companions "Men are coming here to celebrate us!" All his friends clapped merrily, but one.  
  
"We need to call help. From the Moon Elves" the companion who didn't clap said.  
  
"What are you talking about, Ugric?" Ringlô's husband said, puzzled.  
  
"Do you really think they are here to congratulate us?" Ugric said in distaste, as if just had a poisonous herb "They are too proud for it. I don't understand why they left, neither do I understand why they would come to congratulate us!" Ugric had rose. Ringlô and Blaise weren't alone. Ugric was wearing a long elven cloak, and underneath it, a black robe. You wouldn't name him "wise" by the look of him, but he seemed rather wise enough to race with wizards, with his voice and the certain and bold.  
  
Ugric was the wisest in their village. And hi history was rather complicated. He had been living with Moon Elves, for a long time, and had his childhood there, or so he said. And then he lived in the forest, alone, and he wondered far, far enough to amaze any ranger. But after every journey, he turned back to forest, his "home".  
  
She had been eying him too long not to be noticed. People were looking at her. And she looked away as soon as she came back to world from memories of Ugric and realized everybody was looking at her.  
  
"You read the signs as I do," she said to Ugric "I have been worried for long."  
  
Ugric was intelligent, and he asked in a singsong voice "Then why not rise the village?"  
  
"Who would believe me?" she asked hoarsely "Who? Give me ONE example I could count on. And also, my daughter, my little daughter just told me she was afraid. So afraid of the danger she senses, she said she couldn't ignore the signs anymore. What would people say, if I told I and my daughter saw the danger coming?"  
  
"They would laugh at you." Ugric told shortly and clearly "But I would not. Why not come to me, at the first place?"  
  
Ringlô stood there, her mouth wide open, speechless. A last she coughed and said; "I do not know. I know your wise ness, but I could not be sure not to be laughed at."  
  
"True… True…" said Ugric, thoughtfully "Do you know where they are?" he asked suddenly.  
  
"I –" she halted "They have been traveling for days. Slow, humans are. But today, they have reached the edges of the Druadan."  
  
The war was coming. And Men were closer than elves ever led them come. They were coming trough the leaves of Druadan Forest. They were coming for war. And yet war came, in the darkness of the night. But only half the village was asleep. The ones who believed in Ugric and Ringlô were ready for war. They had called the Firien Wood for help. As this was the war of whole Gondor. If Men passed Druadan, they would go for all Gondor.  
  
Gondor was also in the kingdom of Men. But the Men who came and the Men who ruled Gondor were not the same. The wise Kingdom of Gondor was ruled by Aragorn son of Arathorn in these times time. And elves saw no Men as wise as the "Strider" of many, Aragorn son of Arathorn for Gondor. He was raised by the elves themselves, and had abilities yet not known to Men. He could do things that only elves could. But still, only one man could not change the whole Men, unfortunately. And power-hungry Men now wanted the power of the elves, an elven army. Which would take over Gondor easily. And maybe power-hungry Men would wan more, when did they not want more?  
  
And yet Firien sent help, more than half of their warriors; two hundred bow elves, three hundred sword-master elves and five hundred horse- elves. Grey Elves were better at fighting at night than the Sea Elves. But yet, they could not save the entire village. They were fighting and trying to save the villagers at the same time. And their fighting desire won saving desire. Because they knew, if they didn't fight and keep bringing people to the same, well-protected house, Men would go for that house and get more elves than they would have if they only fought. So they fought.  
  
War was won by the elves. But elves did not celebrate. They lost too many. Druadan lost a thousand of two. And Firien lost none. But they felt like they lost their own people, towards the lost Druadans.  
  
The survivors of the Druadan were those who ran or got escaped by Grey Elves. But yet there were still three people who survived but did not run or got carried away. They were the best fighters of Druadan. Ringlô the Bow-elf, Ugric the Wise and Blaise the aier (elvish word, meaning; "Short one"). Blaise was four years old, and she survived. She used the bow as if using her hand. And yet she was brave and did not escape, and of course, she was the daughter of Ringlô the great Bow-elf. 


	2. The Unexpected Visit

Chapter 2,  
  
1 The Unexpected Visit  
  
  
  
What a long day it had been. She led a sigh and walked towards home. It had been two days since she last went home. Her father often yelled her, because she stayed out of home so long. But she believed the forest was where she was meant to be. Not in a four walled, roofed place, she was meant to live in. She wanted freedom; she wanted to listen to the forest all the time. But nobody else understood her.  
  
She jumped suddenly, on a tree. And kept moving on the trees, like a monkey. She then stopped when she came to an old tree, unlike the thin ones she had been on. The trees she had been traveling on were much or less a thousand year old. But this one seemed at least the double. She went closer to it and found a crack on it. Clicked on it and stepped inside. The crack seemed to open some sort of a door. But it was unable to be seen from outside.  
  
Her father was yet going to shout at her again. Tell her how worried he was. But she didn't believe a word of it. He should've got used to it by now. She was eighteen and she started disappearing for days when she was six. She wasn't as good as many elves with the bow, but she had a talent with swords. But her father wasn't pleased with this. He found her rather disappointing. Couldn't use a bow, disappearing for days every now and then…was this how he imagined her to be? He wanted her to be rather a good house-elf or a good warrior. He never expected something like this to happen.  
  
She eyed him longingly. He had his back facing the door, so he couldn't see her. Was this how he would be, if he was really worried? She led a sigh and went forwards her father "Father, I am back, to show that I am alive." she said, not like as if talking to her father but like as if giving a report to her boss.  
  
"Where HAVE you been?" her father asked "I have been dead worried for you!" Even his voice was so cartoony. He was rather a good fighter and a handsome boy in his times. But now, he was fat, he didn't hunt anymore and he wasn't even thinking lately.  
  
"I think I saw someone today" she said, ignoring him "a stranger."  
  
"What? You saw someone? But who?" her father said, suddenly giving up to pretend he was worried  
  
"Would I say she was a "stranger" I knew who she was?"  
  
"Well" her father rolled his eyes  
  
"I wonder who she was" his daughter was now eying him "Do you know a stranger, who is supposed to come here? She was no random elf. She had the speed of the wind, and the power of the tiger. I saw her hunt down a deer. But I saw no more, I couldn't see her moves well, she was too fast. But I know she can't be any older than me. She was short."  
  
"Yes," her father said, "I do know a stranger to come indeed. I heard they were moving the Sea Elf family down to the village." His eyebrows in heavens.  
  
"But…I heard there were two, one dead now, a girl and a man, Ugric. Yet the girl couldn't have been the one who I saw. The one I saw was little. And the Sea Elf girl is told to be one of the three warriors who yet could escape form the Ancient Battle. I heard she was a great warrior. She couldn't have been that little girl!"  
  
"May be indeed, because when she survived the battle, she was four years old." Her father said  
  
She was shocked. "A four-year-old girl, surviving a battle, which only two other great warriors survived" was an insane thought. How was it possible, she could not see. She looked at the floor, thinking, thinking how stupid she had been and didn't ask the girl who she was.  
  
"I am going," she said, and made a move towards the door "I won't be back for a few days, unless Blaise honors our village." And she was gone before her father could say a thing.  
  
She kept on walking. She was walking like some sort of an animal, on four legs. And she did it good, not like crawling, but she could even run like that, whenever she heard a noise. She wandered around. These places were not that strange to her. She had once come here. And as her memory was good, she remembered every inch of place she went.  
  
She heard a noise. Sounded like an animal noise. But a mix of a monkey and a tiger. It came from the tree, and only animal that could stand on a tree like that could be only a monkey. But it was as quick and careful as a tiger. Or a cheetah. She jumped aside and looked up. She couldn't see anything. Until some animal jumped in front of her, from the tree.  
  
"Welcome, Blaise, daughter of Ringlô the great. Welcome to the village of Firien's Moon Elves." Said the animal that dropped from the tree. Now Blaise could see, that it was not an animal, but a Grey Elf. A girl with shiny red hair, and with boy clothes on. Beautiful she seemed, but yet so wild and boyish.  
  
"Hello indeed, but who are you? And how do you know who I am?" Blaise asked rather seriously.  
  
"Me? I am a common villager of Firien Wood. Domî is my name, Domî the Berekâ Berô; you might've heard me as…if you ever heard me that is." Domî answered her.  
  
"I heard you indeed. But not by the name." Blaise said, to Domî's surprise "Ugric told he saw you. And he told me not to be afraid of you if I see you."  
  
"Ugric you say?" Domî said in excitement "How is he?"  
  
"You met him then? So why wouldn't he tell your name to me?" Blaise said, a bit suspicious.  
  
"Because he doesn't know it." Domî said simply "I never told him my name. But yet he saw me. The first one who managed to see me as a human in the jungle he was, without my wanting. Sharp eyes he has got. When I asked him how he knew I was no animal, he told me he saw my hair. And told me no animal hair could blow like that in the wind. He has sharp eyes indeed. Now, tell me how he is doing!"  
  
"I do not know." Blaise said, looking at Domî longingly "I do not know. But yet I can say he is probably all right. Never saw him in a bad position, I have. Never. Maybe thoughtful, maybe miserable and in a different world, but I never saw him hurt. And I can assure you that he cannot be killed or captured in only two days."  
  
"He is gone for two days now, eh?" Domî asked, sounding not surprised at all "I see… Well, let me lead you to the village and let us talk there!"  
  
"Village? Who wants to go to the village?"  
  
"Surely not me. But you are waited there. And I need to get my blade from the tree near our home. You will teach me how to hunt down a deer so perfectly" Domî said and smiled at the shocked face of Blaise.  
  
"A…a deer? How to hunt a deer?"  
  
"Yes. What is so different about it? You are good at hunting deer. So you will teach me how to hunt a deer. Not that I can't. I just can't do it as perfect as you. And I see you buried the bones as perfectly as you ate the meat. And the wood hasn't been complaining about the digging of the earth. So you should've found the perfect dead spot."  
  
"Oh…" Blaise said, still puzzled but she seemed to understand a bit of it "You saw me? And I didn't see you. I didn't even hear you. And they say my ears are the sharpest Sea Elf ears ever seen."  
  
"Well, it was not your ears' fault" Domî said matter-of-factly "my movements in the wood are not able to be heard more than a cheetah's moves."  
  
"Are we still going? We better get going because I want to be out of here before sunset. If it is dark, we may not be able to see the soft spot of earth, which is not far to us and we will probably have to pass it. Am I not right?"  
  
"You have the memory of an elephant." Domî said, her smile widening "However, not the brain of one. No offence meant, but elephants are the best animals to judge the travels. And you seem to forget the simplest thing! Your mind doesn't work as an elephant mind then!"  
  
"What did I miss, may I ask?" Blaise said, toneless.  
  
"I am a Grey Elf!" Domî said simply but a bit annoyed "I can travel at night easily! You have the ears; I have the eye and the knowledge! What shall stop us on our way? However, we shall go soon. I cannot get the responsibility of a child at a Firien Wood's night. We shall go as soon as you are ready. I will have to slow down, now that I have you, so don't worry about catching up with me"  
  
Blaise seemed extremely annoyed of these words "I am NOT a child, neither someone who cannot take her own responsibility AND I am not a cause you to slow down." She said, her eyebrows in heavens.  
  
Domî smiled gently "Of course," she said "how could I forget the little Blaise's honor? Ok, I will count you are not a child. But I will slow down. It is near sunset and the night will fall upon Firien Wood soon, maybe before we reach the village." She then took her eyes off the sky, which was barely seen through the trees, and turned them on Blaise "Which way can you travel the fastest?"  
  
"Whichever way you can!" Blaise said coolly  
  
Domî laughed shortly but from heart "Every way suits me, I just want to be a bit quicker that's all! Now tell me the way you are the most fast!"  
  
Blaise felt not only disappointed in herself but also embarrassed "Ground is what I am best traveling on, if I understood you right."  
  
"Sorry, I have to have your second best way, because ground is dangerous tonight. It is the night horses pass every year. Sorry, but shall I ask you again; how can you travel the fastest?" Domî said, not a drop of seriousness on her voice  
  
Blaise led a sigh "Then water, I would say, but as you have none near," she said slowly "I will choose…the trees. But I may add, I am not THAT good at them, so I…I wish you to slow down, as I saw your talent on them." The words were coming out of her mouth as if they were on fire and it hurt her mouth to say them.  
  
To Blaise's surprise, Domî smiled "Ok, little master, I will slow down. But be warned, slow or fast, trees are hard to travel on and hide at the same time."  
  
"I am warned indeed!" Blaise said. She now felt a bit more comfortable talking to Domî.  
  
"Let us go then!" Domî said and she was up on the nearest tree before Blaise's eyes. Blaise's climb took a bit more time, but it was not like Blaise was completely not talented. And it seemed like she was giving great work on it.  
  
Domî showed her to the village and Blaise was surprised how heroic they thought she was, but all she had done was to be quick and attack the people from their back so they couldn't attack back! But it was not like she didn't like it…or so it seemed.  
  
  
  
A/N: Ok, know you say "so perfect characters! God!" but believe me, you'll see..they are NOT! They will always fight up and all…and the story MAY seem boring, but see, I amtrying to set things right in to your mind until this chapter. With the third chapter, which I am nearly finished(really long one), the real advanture will begin! PLEASE comment! 


	3. The Hard Meeting(half-finished)

Chapter 3,  
  
The Hard Meeting  
  
  
  
They spent a long time in the forest. Soron and Blaise were often alone, or so they thought, because Domî could not often be seen. Domî was showing them the forest. However they couldn't see her much, they could still hear her well. But they couldn't understand how she was so near but they couldn't see her. She seemed to move like a spider on the trees, her voice changing its place every now and then.  
  
Soron was a young Sea Elf Domî introduced to Blaise. Soron was another who survived the Ancient Battle. But he survived by hiding perfectly and hitting people if they came near. So he wasn't counted in the "Great Three", neither he was to be seen when the battle was over. He turned up five days after the battle, in the Firien Wood. And Silver Elves easily had him as one of them, as he was flexible.  
  
He had bright blue eyes, just like Blaise and his hair was…a unique color between aqua and light blue, unlike Blaise's yellow hair. And he definitely had muscles and a good body. However he was impressive, Domî somehow didn't like him that way. But when she first saw him, she was more than amazed. But Blaise seemed to be effected even more than her. Blaise totally seemed to see him as some sort of a God. And it wasn't like Soron didn't answer her. But Domî noticed none of these; she was too interested, showing the Wood to them, she didn't often watch them.  
  
(A/N: Ok, Domî isn't the best, but for now, she hasn't done a mistake. But of course she will, she is no super-hero!! Okok I shut up. Go on with the story!!)  
  
Suddenly Domî stopped. "Wait" she said to Soron and Blaise. They were deep in talk of the old days of Sea Elves, but they stopped in a second as Domî hushed them. Domî could sense someone coming near. Her heart was pounding hard. Then suddenly a girl came out of nowhere.  
  
"Hello" she said in a weird accent, and bowed low at their horrified faces "My name is Miriam. And I won't bite" she added, to Soron whose mouth was still open in shock – or something else.  
  
Soron quickly closed his mouth at the words and opened it again to speak "I am Soron son of Hyron." With a voice, which was not his own.  
  
"Blaise." Blaise said quickly, as if words came out painfully from her mouth "Daughter of Ringlô the fourth, the great warrior and Mâourî"  
  
"Daughter?" the stranger repeated blankly  
  
"What with it?" Blaise asked coldly  
  
The stranger laughed for a little while to herself and said "I first thought you were a 'he', see"  
  
Blaise blushed at the bare words. She was probably going to fight when Soron held her from her shoulders. He wasn't very much taller than her but seemed to be a lot stronger. And also, her legs seemed not to work when he touched her, so she stood there, silent, and let the stranger talk. It wasn't before then that Domî appeared. Domî glanced at the stranger and said "Domî, daughter of Câdeoughr, the wise." She looked at the grass for a while and said "Also you may have heard me, if you ever did, as 'Ithil'quessir Berô Dess'"  
  
Stranger halted for a second and then looked at them all. 'What a weird bunch,' she thought, 'Two boy-like girls, daughters of great people and the only heir of Hyron.' "So," she said to the crowd "as you said who you were, I will too. What a coincidence, (she looked at Domî) I as well am a gray elf. My name is Ithil'quessir Yaarer Gilja to most, though my real name is Macramé, daughter of Aron the Green."  
  
Domî sniffed "Half-blood, are you?" she said, disgustedly "Well…I suppose you are pretty good for a half-blood. I mean, I haven't noticed you around till an hour ago…"  
  
Macramé laughed politely, though the anger changed her tone, her eyes didn't seem to have heard what Domî said. "Well," she said slowly, and with a tense tone in her voice "and I suppose you are a pure elf. Poor Câdeoughr," she added sadly "having you for a daughter. What a shame for him"  
  
"Ladies…ladies…" Soron said, warningly "Don't act like little kids. Macramé, nice to meet you, but now we shall go. And Domî (he shot a more- than-warning look at Domî) just cool down, all right?"  
  
Domî looked terribly annoyed with this "special warning" but she kept silent. Everyone kept silent for a few moments. Then Blaise talked, "Well, I think we ought to go. I suppose," she shot a glance at Soron, who was looking at her without blinking "we have a lot to do!"  
  
"Like?" Macramé asked,  
  
"Nothing to bother you," Domî said, "you wouldn't understand…"  
  
"What do you mean, 'you'?" Macramé asked  
  
"Well…" Domî rolled her eyes "nobody but us three would know."  
  
"Oh…" Macramé said, totally disappointed. She waited Domî to say something insulting and then she would have a reason to fight her. Though Domî was well aware of her thoughts. She kept silent.  
  
"Er…" Soron said, looking at Macramé, and then Domî "I suppose…we could tell her. I mean, come on…it isn't such a big secret… Macramé, we are wandering around, and probably we won't be back in the village before we traveled far. And… I suppose that's that."  
  
"Oh…well…I…I think I would come with you if you…asked…" Macramé said, every single word coming on by one, bursting, not being told, as if they hurt Macramé's throat.  
  
"Yeah, great idea!" It was Blaise, for everyone's surprise.  
  
"What d'you say, Domî?" Soron asked Domî, knowing they could go nowhere if she didn't want Macramé in.  
  
"I," Domî gave a huge sigh, "I suppose she could…"  
  
  
  
***  
  
  
  
"I don't get it!" Blaise whispered to Soron as they were walking. Again Domî was amiss but Macramé was following the two silently. Domî seemed annoyed of Macramé; she didn't show up until she told them where the tent was. They were surprised how she came up with a tent in so little time. Domî said she had been having them circle around the place of the tent; she said she already had a place for a tent there; she only put up the tent.  
  
"Neither do I…" Soron whispered slowly to Blaise and shot a glance at Macramé, making sure she wasn't listening  
  
"How could she let her?"  
  
"What d'you mean?"  
  
"Well, there is nothing wrong with her but…you know…she didn't seem to like her…"  
  
"Maybe she was afraid Macramé would follow us and she wouldn't notice?"  
  
A cold laugh came from their back, "Possible," said Macramé, "but I really don't think so! Remember when she said she saw me only an hour ago? Well, I only followed you for an hour!"  
  
Soron blushed. So did Blaise. But Blaise's blush looked like an anger blush, not an embarrassment sign. Soron and Blaise both stood there, frozen. But Macramé just walked pass them and giggled now and then for the next five minutes.  
  
"There!" Domî said, as she put the food on three enormous leaves, "eat this. It is good for you!"  
  
"What is this?" Soron asked suspiciously  
  
"Oh, it is a mixture of rabbit meat and some plants" Domî answered, her tone saying she didn't think it was necessary. Though Blaise seemed to take it necessary, she didn't get one single piece more of her food. She seemed disgusted.  
  
After like an hour, Domî turned up and saw that they were all finished with food and so she cleaned around and went off again. A few minutes later, she turned up with some wine. Three bottles, to be exact.  
  
"Where did you find wine?" Blaise asked, half-impressed, half- suspicious.  
  
"Well, I always have a few belongings around the wood you know…" she answered not caringly  
  
"And you let us with water all through the dinner when you had wine?" Soron asked  
  
"Well…these wine are of 1421! I can't go offering them to everybody for nothing!"  
  
"1421?" Soron's eyes widened, "How did you get those? They are very valuable! And exclusive, come to that!"  
  
"Er…"  
  
"Yeah," Macramé said, "tell us how you got 'em! I myself wonder! Of course if you are older than I think…"  
  
"What age do you think I am?"  
  
"I think…" she looked longingly at Domî "you were born in…1502"  
  
"Near enough…1512"  
  
"Well…that makes you my little sister!" Soron said happily  
  
"And," Blaise said miserable, "my older sister."  
  
"And when did she become your sister?"  
  
"Not 'relative' sister!" Soron said,  
  
"I have to go." Domî suddenly said and wandered off yet again.  
  
Domî didn't turn up. They thought she could get hold of herself and went to sleep. Tomorrow morning, their breakfast was ready; some cheese, bread and water. They supposed Domî was back but she wasn't. They looked around for her. They shouted her name to the wood for millions of times. Then they decided to eat and then go on looking for Domî – well, they stomachs decided more like…  
  
And so they looked and looked for Domî. She was nowhere to be seen. They started to get worried – and hungry. Blaise asked if she should hunt something but Soron refused to eat anything that wasn't cooked and cooking was Domî's job. And Blaise said she couldn't eat a whole deer for herself and supposed she should wait for Domî too.  
  
The wood was somehow more frightening when it was dark and Domî was gone. The fresh moonlight licked through the leaves of ancient trees and herb and reached Soron's face. He looked somehow older than he used to. Somehow a shadow darkened his face. And Blaise wasn't sure this was a good thing. It scared her out of her guts.  
  
Blaise was the slowest one. It wasn't like she was really the slowest to walk through wood. It was just that her leg seemed not to want to go. And a corner of her heart found it rather dangerous to wander off at night in wood, alone, in full moon.  
  
Even Macramé was showing signs of nervousness. Her hands seemed to be vibrating as if it was freezing cold. It wasn't like she wasn't used to this; wandering at Firien at nights, alone. And she wasn't quite alone, come to that, she had Soron and Blaise. And she supposed, however both were Sea Elves, they weren't stranger to the dark. But the lose of Domî scared her. If there as anything, anything she would admit Domî was better at than her, it was wandering in Firien.  
  
At last they halted. Blaise's legs were aching. She wasn't used to this; walking all day. She was used to swim, to jump…but walking, more like forcing her legs to move…she wasn't used to it at all. She sat on a root of the big oak they were now under. She looked around. As far as she could see in the fogged darkness, there were leaves everywhere, except for the circle they were in. The circle was as if appointed for them. Right when they recognized they couldn't go on, the circle seemed to have appeared.  
  
Macramé said it was the safest place of all they would find that night. And Soron found a large crack on the oak where a thin elf could squeeze through, so they could sleep in the oak that night. But Soron himself refused it, "You sleep there, I will sleep at the brilliance of the nature, under the endless sky and the countless stars! And wait for Domî…she might turn up." He said, "Just get in and sleep!"  
  
Macramé tried to refuse but he wouldn't listen. He seemed to think Domî could turn up and not see them. Also, he thought the oak was a great place to hide in and attack from. And if everybody was inside it, the attacker (probably an animal, he thought) could easily finish all of them off. Finally girls let him and went inside the oak.  
  
  
  
"Evening!" a soft voice hissed in his ear "what a great night, eh?"  
  
He got up in a flash, "Domî!" he said great fully. Then suddenly his grin broke into a sour expression, like as if there was something under his nose that stunk. "Where were you, you idiot? We were dead worried!"  
  
She giggled silently. Then she whispered, "Well, I have my right to wander off any time I want! Though this time, it was for a good reason!"  
  
"And what is that 'good reason'?" Soron said sourly, he didn't quite believe Domî was in for 'real' business, he supposed she either liked to frighten them a bit or she just wanted to wander off.  
  
"I have news!" she whispered, suddenly her smile broken, as if it wasn't there, ever. She looked serious. Soron got up from some leaves he out together to sleep on. He looked at her green eyes. There was a flashing blue light in them, and he wanted to know why. Just when he was going to ask, she answered him:  
  
"Bad news." She said shortly "Really bad news indeed… They say Ugric is in losing. And also a few other elves. And it is not like Ugric to bring others with him if he wanted to wander off." She looked at the ground thoughtfully, and then said, "Soron, I don't know what has become of him but form what I've heard, he was last heard in Calenhad. And that's where I'm going. I just wanted to take you. I…might need help. It is not as easy for me as it is in Firien, outside…and I think you know a bit of outside. I haven't studied history and I may need to know things…it will be embarrassing to go there not knowing anything!"  
  
"Me?" Soron asked blankly "Why only me?"  
  
"Because Blaise is not strong enough. She is strong, but she needs experience. And Macramé…" she looked at the wet grass which wetted her foot as well. After a few seconds she continued; "Let's say I don't…trust her that much…you, I know but her, I've newly met. So I ask you, if you would come with me."  
  
"Not without Blaise." He said dully, "…neither without Macramé."  
  
"Why do you want her to come?"  
  
"Because we might need her. And also, I think…I think I have quite warmed towards her." He blushed.  
  
"Quite warmed towards her beauty you mean." Domî said disgustedly "Ok then, have it your way but…" she looked at Soron in the eyes "Oh ok…we will get her too. But let them rest, and also you must rest, for tomorrow a hard challenge awaits us all."  
  
"You?" Soron asked  
  
"I won't rest. I rested enough already."  
  
"But you were on road all the time-" he started but Domî interrupted him  
  
"I had sleep every night before yesterday and tonight. I can go with just sitting now. I dreamed while I journeyed yesterday. And that is enough rest for me."  
  
Soron sighed, "I may stay awake also," he said "I cannot sleep."  
  
"No." Domî said "You need rest, I can see it in your eyes, on your face."  
  
"The shadow on my face does not belong to tiredness, it is the shadow of-" he broke. Domî was curious but knew he wasn't to tell it, not now.  
  
"Good night" she said and walked away before Soron could say "Where?" And surprisingly she turned back in a few minutes, carrying a bottle of wine. "Here!" she told him, "Drink some! At least our souls must rest, even if our bodies doesn't need it."  
  
And Soron, forgetting all his manners, forgetting that the wines were exclusive, drank and drank after cup after cup. Domî had brought two cups. She then said she shall think a bit and jumped on the oak. He wondered if he should jump too, but then thought better of it, he stayed still, he knew she wanted to be alone, either to think or something else, but alone.  
  
  
  
A/N: Phew! Well, this chapter finished as well. I am writing fourth chapter now. Nearly done with it. Though whenever I'm "nearly done", I suddenly get author's block and can't write!! Anyway, please R&R! 


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